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Apple’s iPhone: Now Sending Texts From Space. Because, You Know, Regular Cell Service Is for Suckers.
So, Apple’s at it again, folks. They’ve decided that being able to call your mom from, like, anywhere on Earth with cell service just isn’t good enough. Nope. With iOS 18, they’re taking your texts to the freakin’ cosmos with “Messages via satellite.”
That’s right, if you’ve got an iPhone 14 or newer and you’re in the US of A, you can now send iMessages and even – get this – regular old SMS messages through satellites. Emojis? Tapbacks? All there, baby! Apparently, they’re using the same tech they rolled out for “Emergency SOS via satellite,” but you don’t have to be hanging off a cliff to use it this time. And for now, it’s free. Because when you’re paying fifteen hundred bucks for a phone, what’s a little satellite time, right?
Basically, when your iPhone realizes it’s lost its precious cellular and Wi-Fi connection, it’ll ask if you want to use this space-age texting service. You can also just go straight to the Messages app when you’re off the grid. iOS will even show you which way to point your phone to find a satellite. Because apparently, satellites are like Pokémon now – gotta catch ’em all.
Now, Apple says iMessages sent through space are still end-to-end encrypted, which is good because who knows what aliens are lurking out there, reading your texts about what you had for lunch. But they do say SMS is a little more limited, probably to stop robots from spamming everyone from orbit. So, you can text your emergency contacts or family whenever, but for everyone else, you’ve got to send the first message to get the conversation going.
And because Apple knows you’re probably gonna be too busy wrestling a bear in the wilderness to figure this out in a real emergency, they’ve added a demo mode in iOS 18. Just go to Settings, then Apps, then Messages, and then look for “Satellite Connection Demo.”
It’ll walk you through the whole process of sending a message through space. You know, just in case you ever find yourself stranded somewhere without cell service, but still desperate to let someone know you just saw a squirrel wearing a tiny hat.
Oh, and one more thing. It doesn’t work with RCS yet. But hey, knowing Apple, they’ll probably figure out a way to send holographic messages through wormholes by next year. So, stay tuned, folks. The future of communication is clearly… out of this world.
From the sales floor to the critic's corner, I'm a former Apple Sales Specialist who's not afraid to tell it like it is. Get my honest takes on the iPhone, Mac, and everything Apple. | Los Angeles, California.
